The Ancient Canal City: Acupuncture Vital Points - Huai'an Dutian Temple District Urban Design

  • Prize
    Jury's Favorite in Landscape Architecture - Urban Planning
  • Company/Firm
    Urban Architectural Lab (Ual), Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University (Aeseu)
  • Lead Designer
    LIU Hua, MA Xiaodong, HAN Dongqing, GUI Peng, SUN Fei, TAN Liang, ZOU Kang
  • Design Team
    WANG Yang, LU Yin, XU Yuping, PANG Yueting, YANG Fan, LU Rui, YANG Wenxin, SHU Hongda, ZHOU Xin, YAO Di, TANG Ying, LI Yu, XU Yipin
  • Photo Credit
    Urban Architectural Lab (Ual), Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University (Aeseu)
  • Project Link

Dutian Temple District is located in the heart of Huai'an, the hub of the "Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal", representing precious authentic traditional settlements of Qingjiangpu Ancient City. The site holds rich spatial information, but currently suffers from high building density, inconvenient transportation, aging infrastructure, and a lack of vibrancy. The design spiritual centerpiece is the Dutian Temple, a historical hub for traditional Chinese medicine education. We draw parallels between the principles of acupuncture and our approach to revitalization design. Just as acupuncture targets key pressure points for targeted treatments, we identify critical areas within the declining district and implement tailored measures to restore its vibrancy. In terms of sustainability, the urban design incorporates the assessment of microclimate, responding to the summer wind corridor by widening streets and waterfront spaces. It connects the local "cool islands" and enhances the density of "cool alleys". By expanding open spaces according to heritage resources distribution, it creates a comfortable living environment.